Last Updated on May 11, 2021, 1:00 PM | Published: May 11, 2021
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — The Millwood Public Schools Board of Education is preparing a resolution to denounce HB1775 just signed into law by Governor Kevin Stitt Friday.
This comes the day after Oklahoma City Public Schools passed a resolution denouncing the new law Monday.
According to the prepared statement issued by Superintendent Cecilia Robinson-Woods, the resolution will also call on schools across the state to “diversify classroom literature to address the absence created in dialogue by HB1775.”
The bill-now-law prohibits any kind of teaching in public schools or public colleges about race in a way that may make white students uncomfortable.
The authors of the bill cited Critical Race Theory as the main example of what they are trying to prohibit being employed in classroom teaching.
To learn more: Stitt signs HB1775 prohibiting certain types of teaching about race
Explanation
A news release Tuesday said that the Millwood Board of Education would take up a resolution to denounce the new law Wednesday during a special board meeting already planned.
The statement said that the new law “will muzzle teachers on an already sensitive topic to likely avoid or restrict crucial conversations. This law even provides for those who do not deem it necessary to learn about people that look, live and love differently from themselves to opt out of training.”
“The threat of violating the law by making an individual feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex is too much to navigate by already stressed teachers.”
“Declaring that structural racism is not to be addressed using ‘public dollars’ when these are public problems is an absolute failure in recognizing what children in the 21st Century need in an ever evolving society,” the announcement read.
“This legislation does nothing more than ensure that the Oklahom’s children will continue to be ignorant, intimidated and ill-prepared to address the global society of their future.”
“Don’t repeat history”
Millwood Superintendent Cecilia Robinson Wood talked with Free Press about HB 1775 just days before Stitt signed.
“I think legislators are misinformed about with critical race theory,” she said.
“It’s just opening up those pieces of history to make sure that they reflect everyone in our community, everybody in our state, everybody in our nation,” Robinson Woods said.
She characterized the motivations of proponents of the bill of saying that Critical Race Theory is trying to make white men feel like they have done something wrong.
“No, we’re not,” she insisted. “We are trying to make sure that children understand this so they don’t repeat history. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
The superintendent said that she is convinced legislators just don’t understand the theory at all insisting that it’s a “theory.”
“There is no teacher out there, who is worth their weight in salt, who’s going to say, you know what, it’s Black History Month, but I don’t want the white kids to feel bad. So I’m not going to bring out that, you know, black literature. And that’s where we are, which is shameful.”
She insisted, “we will still be teaching with the same lens that makes sure that all of the children in the state of Oklahoma and In the nation are represented. And I would be happy to host any legislators who would like to take a look at what we teach and how we teach it.”
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
